After Effect
by Miss-Riah
Summary: One Year Later Renton and Eureka return to Bellforst and start a new life. But what lies ahead for the little family? /Discontinued
1. Ch 1: Life on a HalfFull Tank

**Disclaimer: I don't own Eureka seveN**

After Affect

Ch 1: Life on a Half-Full Tank

Life has slowed down. This whole life in this town is a chemical reaction of slow. Once you set one foot in this place…then your life is going to become boring and each day it will keep on going slower, with every minute that passes.

I lay on the porch on the small, sad, shabby house next to the Thurston Garage. We were in a different location now, since the original Thurston Garage had been blown to pieces. I don't know why, but it was bigger than the original, it was big enough for Grandpa to live in, just like the last Garage

I guess you could say my room was now a little house. I bet grandpa had thoughts of me coming back with company, and so he built a fair sized house. Three rooms, a small Kitchen, living room and one bathroom. One bathroom: For five people…That's not good. But we don't have air conditioning or a heater. Thank goodness it's fall…

At least life isn't as boring. Now I had Eureka and the kids and so at least they kept me happy through out the day. I'm only fifteen and I have so much and yet when I was fourteen, I almost had nothing, that's why I wanted adventure and to go and join the Gekko State.

I don't know why, but ever since I moved back in with Grandpa, I feel like some thing is missing, but I'm not entirely sure what. I mean, Eureka and I had only gotten back a week ago and the kids had been there a few months or more before us. Maybe I'm just readjusting to my old life?

I don't know about Eureka and the kids, but some thing is definitely wrong here. Like, a chunk of some thing we once had was missing, we still had our love and friendship, but some thing else had detached itself.

My eyes were drawn away from the sky and onto a green haired girl with brilliant purple eyes and gel like wings, who stood above me, staring down at me in curiosity.

"Oh, Eureka, sorry, I was just laying here thinking." I replied.

She had a frown on her face, not really explaining any emotion, either sadness or boredom. She never showed that emotion too much any more; maybe we were having the same feeling. Or maybe it was because we were connected. I'm not sure why…Maybe it's the moon in the sky that has our initials engraved in it. Or maybe it was from our encounter with the Coralian.

She sat down next to me, or next to my head and just stared out at the sunset in front of us. "It's beautiful here." She said softly.

"Really?" I asked in curiosity. I thought Bell Forest was ugly and reeking of pollution; though where we were wasn't really polluted, it still had an ugly old garage next to it. Maybe it was because Eureka really never had much of a land home, a place you can actually place your feet on and say that you're standing strong. To her, this was as beautiful as it could get. She had every thing she's ever wanted, or at least all that I know of; children, a boyfriend, a home, my grandpa, who was tickled pink to have her and his "Great" grandchildren. Grandpa always has to emphasize on the 'great' part of great grandkids.

But I felt like there was still some thing missing, some thing both I and Eureka were missing, who knows, maybe the kids are missing it too. Maeter and Linck seem to be happy here, Maurice seems to be content. So what was wrong with us?

"I never thought this place was that great." I replied, I was wondering how she would reply.

She remained silent for a moment and then replied, "How can you not admire this place?" Her voice now contained a little bit more emotion along the lines of astonishment.

"I don't know, it's boring, it's polluted, its…feels like every day goes by too slow." I said slowly, I really didn't care much for the place we were living in, the house was okay, small, but fine, but the rest is just terrible. But I guess if this place hadn't driven me crazy, then, I may never have met Eureka.

"But it's your home." She pleaded. She looked at me with curiosity, that face always made me coo mentally, or gulp, nervously. I thought for a moment, home was where the people you loved were. And true, that I have that now but, that empty feeling is what's messing me up right now. I realize not every one I care about is with me right now. Those people were left on the Gekko…The Gekko…That's it! Life with the Gekko State was part of what was missing, but that was only one piece of the puzzle. So what was the other part?

"Well, it may be a home, but a home is a place where the people you love are. And while I do have that here, a lot of the other people I care about are some where up in the sky." I said calmly. I felt like I rushed it a little bit, but some times, talking to her made me do that.

She nodded silently. I don't guess their really was a perfect reply to what I had just said, I didn't have to ask, I knew Eureka was missing them too.

"Mama!" I heard a yell; we both looked over to our left to see the children running in our direction, Maurice was holding some thing his hands, and they all looked excited.

They stopped about two feet away from up and revealed what Maurice had held in his hand. I was a little surprised, because, never in my years of living in this town, had I seen what they had showed me: a turtle. It was a small box turtle, his head poked in his shell and his arms and legs were tucked in tight. There wasn't any type of environment around for miles that could support a turtle. Even in this new place that we had moved into didn't have the correct environment for the box turtle or for any kind of turtle for that matter.

Eureka's face lit up at the site of the little turtle. I don't even know if she's ever seen one before. Surely she had, she was fascinated by all animals.

"Wow, where did you guys find this little guy?" I asked with a smile, as I leaned forward to get a closer look at the animal.

"We found it in the back yard!" Linck exclaimed proudly.

"Yeah, it was crawling around in a patch of grass." Maeter added, with a smile.

It just seemed odd to me that they were able to find a turtle out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe a lot more had changed than I had thought, since I left.

"It's adorable, kids." Eureka said softly, a smile to match her tone. The turtle slowly and cautiously poked its head out of its shell, wondering if it was really safe to look around at its surroundings in public.

"Renton, Eureka, kids" I heard a voice; an old voice that I hadn't heard in over a year until a week ago. Grandpa, "Dinner's almost ready, come on, its time to go inside." He looked a little stern, probably because he had had a rough day. He went back inside, leaving us alone again. Grandpa still treats me the same for the most part. But Grandpa treats the kids like they're the greatest things on this Earth; which they are in my world. And as for Eureka, he loved Eureka a lot too. After all, she was the mother of the kids long before I was their father. And if she hadn't adopted those kids in the first place, then Gramps wouldn't be a Great Grandpa; though he was equally surprised when Holland had sent the kids over to Grandpa, saying that they were my kids.

As I said, he was still rough with me; a little rougher than normal, than before I had left. I had always thought it was because he had to play as my parent after my sister left. But now I think he treats me a little rougher because I ran off and joined the Gekko State. Of course I wouldn't know, I would never ask, I would just leave it as is.

Dinner was quiet. The kids would pass words in between each other, but nothing else. Though I noticed that Grandpa had a grumpy face on, more grumpy than normal, I felt like addressing it, but I was a little afraid that I might be apart of the problem. But I thought_ "Take a jump for it."_ So I did, "So what's wrong, you look a little mad?" I asked, looking up from my plate at him.

He looked up with the same look on his face. I was glad the kids didn't see, they might not like that face too well, and honestly, I didn't like it either.

Eureka had glanced up, but quickly looked back down as she saw the expression on his face.

"Some one brought in a junked up LFO and it's going to take a long time to fix and a lot of work." He snarled.

"How long would it take to fix, do you think?" I asked.

"A month," He guessed simply, "I really don't know, it's so mangled, and it could take two months." He wagered.

I nodded, though I began to wonder, how could an LFO get so mangled to where it had to go through a month or more of repairs? "How did it get damaged so badly?"

Grandpa was silent for a second, but after he swallowed his food he spoke, "five military KLF's took a hitting to it and then when it crashed, it crashed head first into the ground, if that wasn't bad enough the pilot died and got blood all over the seats, and since it wasn't addressed right away; mind you it's been sitting where it was for a year, thus far, there was enough time for some hoodlums to graphiti all over it." He answered. He looked back down, still grumpy.

I saw that Eureka was staring down at her food, a little disturbed. "Why would some one do that to an LFO?" She asked, while lifting her head up.

"For obvious reasons, the driver was probably wreaking havoc and got in trouble with the military." Grandpa shrugged.

I could tell her expression never changed, she knew that was the way an LFO lived its life, to fight. And this one, as she heard, had done its job, even if it was for the wrong purposes. She was sensitive to machinery, and I kind of was too, Grandpa could be too, but out of all of us, Eureka was the most gentle towards machinery.

The kids remained silent, looking at Grandpa and their mama. I wasn't sure if they knew what was going on or what we were talking about, but they knew some thing was wrong.

Time to go to bed and Eureka and I were getting the kids ready for bed in the house that used to be my room. I missed my room. I miss all of my posters, belongings, and all of the space I had. I used to think that my room had been small, before that night Eureka had crashed down on it. But now, compared to my new room, it was a mansion.

The kids all shared a room and Eureka and I had our own rooms.

I was standing in the bathroom doorway making sure the boys brushed their teeth. They had a nasty habit or bailing on brushing their teeth and so Eureka and I always had to watch them to make sure they took good care of their teeth.

I was starting to become impatient, I was ready to go to bed and they were taking a little bit longer than normal.

Finally Maurice put his tooth brush down, "Goodnight Renton." He said simply. They never really called me papa that much, they were used to calling me Renton. I am their legal father and there are papers to prove it, but still, I'm not sure if them calling me papa felt all comfortable to me either; fifteen and already I have three kids, that's kind of scary.

Eventually Linck finished and went to bed. Finally! I was ready to go to bed, I didn't do that much today and yet I was exhausted.

I still have that empty feeling in my chest; like that piece was still lost. I would feel better if I at least knew what it was that was gone. I only knew that I missed Gekko State. And that my life was sort of replaying itself a little. Only I had more to live for.

"Geez, life is just too confusing." I mutter to myself as I was about to walk into my room. I could hear Eureka in the kid's room a few feet away from my room; she came out after a minute and closed the door. I could tell by looking at her, she was as tired as I was. But she had a frown on her face, like she was sulking a little.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine; I'm just tired is all." She answer, her wings folded down a little as she said it. She grabbed her left arm that normally meant she felt insecure.

I had a feeling home sick was apart of it, but I think the news of the LFO was bothering her the most.

She was silent for a moment and then she looked up at me with a pleading expression, "Please, Renton, can we go see that LFO before we go to bed?"

I thought about it, and I was kind of curious too. I wanted to know exactly how bad it looked; even I could fix an LFO to some extent. "Yeah, sure."

We walked out of the house and walked into the Thurston Garage, where the beaten LFO was resting. The moon glanced in through the large windows so it could get a better view of the rustic insides of the garage.

We both gasped and looked at it in awe. It was terrible. Blood covered the head from the driver's injuries. It was covered in large dents, parts ripped off and the lift board was shoved through its chest; it was amazing that it could still stand.

The LFO was black on the head and back with white on the chin and front of its body, with a little green on the feet. The LFO had coal black eyes; I had never seen black eyes on an LFO before. It had a bulky exterior to it, like a KLF, only taller and not as expressionless; plus KLF's only have one eye. This LFO had two eyes. In a way it reminded me of the Nirvash. Mainly because of the intense expression it held on its face.

"Wow." I said sadly.

Eureka walked over to it and stared at her reflection in it for a second. Then she put her left hand on it and held it there for a few seconds. I could tell she was trying to understand what it was saying to her.

She suddenly pulled her hand away with a gasp and her face went from shock to saddened, "He says…He's in pain." She informed holding her hand.

I walked over to her and grabbed the same hand that had touched the LFO.

"Don't worry; I'm sure he'll be okay." I assured her with a little smile.

"Here." She ordered. I didn't even get a chance to protest; she just grabbed my wrist and held it while the palm of my hand rested on the cold metal.

"Do you feel it?" She asked me.

I don't know if I was feeling the same thing she was feeling, but right then… I felt like, that maybe, this LFO…was as empty as we were…

* * *

Let me just say this is my first Eureka seven fanfiction and I feel pretty pleased with it. I'm sure this plot may have been used already, but I plan for this story to be extremely long, so don't nag me to update too much, since I have a life. XD And please, don't complain about me saying Eureka's hair is green, because to me it looks green. And yes, I guess you could call me "Anime hair-color blind" Because I have that problem a lot. R&R 


	2. Ch 2: Enrolling

**Disclaimer: I do not own Eureka seveN**

After Effect

Ch. 2: Enrolling

That night after the LFO, I kissed Eureka good night and told her every thing would be alright…We were going to see how grandpa would do on fixing it; doubts are if it was unfixable, it would be killed, or turned into scrap metal.

I couldn't bear to see an LFO turned into wasteful pieces of metal. If that were to happen, that would break Eureka's heart. But Grandpa didn't like to waste a robot, so he would normally work at it, until it was in tip top shape again. So why am I so worried?

I turned over onto my side and stared at the wall. Brown; that was the only color there, no posters, no scratched paint, no white walls: It was just uncomfortable. After all Eureka and I had just moved in a week ago and all we really had in our rooms were a dresser and a bed. The kids had that and a few toys and pictures they drawn and put on the wall; most of them drawn by Link. I can't help but smile when I walk into their room they have pictures of me, Eureka, themselves, Grandpa, animals, Gekko State, and the Nirvash. It's just more decorative in there than it is in here.

In here, it's not me. It's stuffy; it's hard, cold, and no love. I wonder if Eureka feels the same way. There's not even a window in our rooms. The only window in this house is in our small little living room. It's a wonder how all five of us can live in it.

One day Eureka and I will get married and share a room and we'll give the other room to Maeter. She'll want her space by then.

Eureka and I guess you could say we're married…Well, maybe not? She's officially a Thurston and the Mother of legal Thurston children. But we never had a real wedding and I think it'll be official then, once we have a wedding.

I closed my eyes, but all I could see was that LFO and Eureka in pain. I could feel some thing when I touched that LFO. Some thing I knew about, but I'm not sure what.

Maybe I just felt the rust…I'm not sure, but for now, I'm just going to put it aside and say it was rust, just for the night. I needed to get some sleep.

* * *

The next day was as slow and as boring as the last one. Only today was a little different. 

During breakfast, Grandpa kept on passing the kids, Eureka, and I a few thoughtful glances. We would all exchange glances, when Grandpa wasn't looking, but we didn't find out until after breakfast, well, at least Eureka and I did.

"I think we should enroll the kids in school." Grandpa protested to Eureka and me. The kids were at the house and Eureka and I stood on the railed floor above the LFO that was brutalized.

"Oh-no, Grandpa, you can't be serious!?" I yelled in annoyance.

Eureka remained silent, but she seemed to be surprised, but not appalled like I was.

"I am serious; those kids need education in order to take over the family business!" Grandpa yelled proudly.

Oh no. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. Grandpa did this to me when I was fourteen. And now he was trying to plan my kids' futures. I was surprised he wasn't sending me or Eureka to school too; hopefully he wouldn't go that far.

"Grandpa, please! Think this through a little bit!" I pleaded.

"Renton, I think it's a good idea." Eureka butted in calmly. He wings were folded back gracefully.

I looked at her, not mad, but a little irritated, by the situation. "Come on Eureka, we need to talk." I grabbed her wrist gently, and led her to the bottom floor that the LFO stood on. We were under the LFO's dangling fist and Grandpa was above on the other floor, trying to listen to our conversation.

"Look Eureka, I really don't school is the best thing to the kids or at least not right now." I protested calmly.

"Why not, the children do need their education and need to make friends?" Eureka corrected.

I sighed, she was right there, but I had my reasons.

"We were with the Gekko State, don't you think it would be a little hard to enroll our kids in school, when they have that record. Also they were involved with the second summer of love and that might make it a little harder to get them enrolled and make friends." I finally finished, friends had little to do with the problem, but the other two, I know made Eureka think.

She put on a thoughtful face. Her wings folded down in thought. She stared down at the floor and held her chin in her hand.

She finally looked up at me a little confused. I think I had kind convinced her that this might be a bad idea.

"But they really need it though," She added.

They did need it. Not to carry on the family business, but to survive in the real world. And I did want a little bit more alone time with Eureka. All day I don't get to spend much time with her, because of the kids. Also, it gave us some time to work on that LFO. Also, maybe since we saved the world and the fact the Gekko State helped us; it might actually make them look good.

"Well…okay, they do need some schooling, if it all comes out bad though, we will take action." I bargained.

"Fine," Eureka lightly smiled. She grabbed my hand and ran me back up to the second floor.

"Their going to school," Eureka stated bluntly.

"Good, I'm glad you two came to your senses or Renton any way." Grandpa snuffed.

I ignored that last comment and Eureka looked over at me and gave me a warm smile. I loved that smile. It's what kept me going every day.

* * *

A few days later, we got the kids what they needed for school and luckily got them enrolled with out any hassle. 

The morning it was time for school, all of the kids were up and tired. Waking up at 7:00am wasn't too bad, but for them it was just a tad bit early.

"Mama, I don't wanna go to school." Linck whined.

"Oh, but it will be fun!" Eureka tried to add some enthusiasm into her voice and into her child. She put his small back pack on his back and looked at him with a smile.

Maeter and Maurice were excited, they really wanted to meet kids their age and make friends, most kids wouldn't look forward to their first day of school, or at least I don't know any that looked forward to it.

Obviously, Linck didn't look forward to it at all. He didn't think any one would like him, which was an understandable feeling, I remember feeling like that.

I walked the kids to school, Eureka couldn't really take them to school, too much commotion and she wasn't too confident with her looks yet. Just because I found her beautiful, doesn't mean the whole world won't find her as a freak of nature.

The Kids talked on there way to school, I just walked with them smiling. Linck still sounded a little discouraged, but his older brother and sister seemed happy as could be.

We got to the school and went into the office. The first thing the office worker does was, was look up and accuse Renton Thurston of only enrolling three kids, not four. Unfortunately, she thought I was their sibling.

"I _am_ Renton Thurston." I said sternly. The office lady looked surprised and shook her head in shame.

"They're adopted!" I whined. The office lady nodded, looking a little bit better, but still looked like she needed time to think.

She handed the children their room numbers and I let them off with one piece of advice: "Have fun" I was thinking about telling them 'Don't die!' but I decided not to

* * *

Walking home felt lonely, no one to talk to, a few blocks to walk, nothing but thoughts. I looked up at the sky to see a few birds fly by. I thought about Gekko State. I missed every body. 

Then I realized I need to get out there and lift before it got too cold. I heard that lifting in the winter or cold weather wasn't the best idea. If you wore heavy clothing it slowed you down and it could crash you, but if you're not warm, then you get sick; really just best to stay away from the waves and boards for a few months.

But today, I planned to spend time with Eureka, work on the LFO tomorrow and if I could, squeeze in some lifting in that day.

It was different now, when on the Gekko, I had to squeeze in time to see her. She might be feeling sick on day or I might be busy the next; so my time with her could be random. But now, I could plan things. For the most part, things wouldn't be as random anymore…I kind of like that.

* * *

I walked up to the small little house and placed my hand on the door knob. The piece of copper colored metal was cold to my hand as I opened the door. I walked in and closed the door behind me. The room was quiet; it had been a while since I had heard silence this deadly. 

I looked over at the sofa and Eureka was sitting there almost expectantly. She peered over her shoulder at me and then quickly turned her attention back towards the little television at the front of the room. I couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking. Doubts are it was about that empty piece or if the kids would be okay in school.

I walked over to her and sat down next to her. The first thing she did was lay her head on my shoulder. I couldn't tell what was exactly wrong with her, but I knew she was in deep thought.

She was quiet for another few minutes, until she spoke, "Renton, have you felt that some thing is missing?" She had asked innocently.

I knew what she was talking about. I knew this feeling for about nine days and I didn't like it. This feeling was all too familiar; I hated knowing so much or so little about it.

"Yeah," I answered in a sigh. "So you're feeling it too? I thought you would." I told her, her eyes just stared dully to the front of the room. She nodded against my shoulder. She grabbed her left arm; insecurity. I hated to see her like this.

"We're just home sick, don't worry about it." I reassured. I tried to pass a smile, but I could taste it becoming cheesier and cheesier by the minute.

She shifted a little and let go of her arm. That was when I decided that it was time to drop the sad story and make her smile.

I grabbed her hand of insecurity and got up and pulled her up. She looked a little worried, but I just smiled. "Come on; let's go for a walk or some thing. You know, it'll be cold soon and I know I sure don't want to walk in the cold." I tried to put on a smile for her to keep her smiling, even though, I knew, that both of our smiles were fake…

Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while. Give me a break, my last fanfiction was always ill-updated and I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.

Hey, just to let you know, I have a Eureka SeveN site. If you want to read the un-cut version of this, go to my homepage on my profile. R&R.


	3. Ch 3: Her Smile

**Disclaimer: I do not own Eureka seveN**

After Effect pt 3

This chapter is dedicated to my cousin- for getting me back into the swing of this show! Thanks cuz!

Ch. 3: Her Smile

"Come on Eureka!" I said enthusiastically. I was determined to make her smile- a real smile; the one that I fell in love with.

Eureka slowly followed me out. She had a frown on her face as she stared at the ground. She looked up at me and smiled that genuine smile, though it was the smile I was looking for- it wasn't the one I _really_ wanted. She trotted over to me and stopped to look at me for a moment. I guess she was just looking at me until I decided to walk somewhere else. I mean, how could she know where to go? She had only been here once before and she learned nothing of the landscape, the people, the town, and she didn't know where to go. I did. I knew that the town was definitely off limits for the time being. Just because I thought Eureka's wings were extravagantly beautiful, didn't mean that the rest of the society would. I didn't want her to be ridiculed for practically nothing. She at least needed to adapt to her environment before we go to town.

I began walking away from the house, towards the road and Eureka followed. When we got to the main road we took a right. I knew exactly where I wanted to go. We hadn't seen it in three years. I was curious to know if the landscape had changed at all and I was kind of in the mood to reminisce. When I look at my life…before I met Eureka…and compare it to now…it makes me feel stronger. I had nothing before. I was miserable, bitter, ignorant, and a caged bird. But…I took to the skies and found something to live for and I learned a lot. I met someone who took away my bitterness and made me happy.

I turned my head and looked at her. I didn't get to admire her secretly, because she turned around to return my stare. Her eyes…always engrossed me; such a beautiful shade of purple. It was something…that I could almost never escape once I looked into them.

"Renton?" I heard her sweet call, "Is there something wrong?" I saw that her face held a little bit of concern. I snapped out of my trance and thought for a moment trying to remember where I was.

"Hmm? Oh! Oh, it's nothing, I was just staring at you." I explained, "…You're really pretty, Eureka." I smiled at her softly. She smiled shyly at me and blushed a little. I love to make her smile…It's one of those things I live for.

I looked at the scenery ahead of us- I believed we were heading the right way. I couldn't quite remember the way…Okay…I didn't know the way, but I sort of just guessed and if we didn't get there, then we would just turn around and go back to the house.

I stared ahead with a smile. But my face molded into a surprised expression as I felt something brush against my hand and then lightly clutch it.

I looked over at Eureka to see her avoiding my stare. I looked down at my hand: It linked with hers. I couldn't help but smile a little bit more. Her touch was so soft and gentle. It always sent shivers up and down my spine.

I slightly squeezed her hand to let her know that she had something real to hold onto; someone who cared.

I looked to my right- I could see some of the city. It looked so much better since the last time I saw it. The roof tops looked clean, the smog that used to rule the atmosphere was now gone and things could be seen much more clearly. Even though it was far away, I could still see the bright colored grass. It meant that it was much healthier then it was before. Everything had changed drastically. I heard that even the town's people had changed.

I smiled a little; I was starting to like this town a lot more than I used to. Maybe it's because I've done some growing up while I was gone and I realized how much a peaceful life could really mean. I missed being care free and waking up to birds chirping and Grandpa screeching and hollering. When I was with the Gekko I woke up to missile fire and people yelling and cussing…You know what? There's really no difference between Grandpa and the missiles- I think I just missed my old house and bed. That's got to be it.

I chuckled slightly. Nah- I think I missed Grandpa a lot too.

"What is it?" I heard an angelic voice asked curiously.

"Oh it's nothing, just remembering stuff, I guess." I answered and scratched the back of my head.

Eureka looked ahead of us emotionlessly. "You seem to be doing that a lot lately." she informed me.

"Yeah, I guess I have." I replied sheepishly. "It's just sort of hard to grab the concept that I actually missed this place, ya know?" I looked over at her and gave her a wiry grin. She slightly smiled, but not in my direction. It still wasn't the smile I was looking for. My lips cocked a little and I thought a little bit, _"How can I get this girl to smile?"_ we trotted along the dirt path. I listened to the sweet melody that was mine and Eureka's footsteps mingling; I tried concocting a plan to make her smile.

But I couldn't think of anything. What could I do to make her smile? Eureka wasn't really the sexual type- and that was okay! I wasn't either- not like that anyway. And sudden romantic actions –depending on the action- might just puzzle her. And a simple romantic gesture would only keep her happy for a few minutes…I wanted that smile to stay on her face forever…But I guess that would be selfish…Because she has a special smile reserved for her-…**our** children, too. And to keep that the smile especially for me on her face would be wrong. It would probably lead to neglecting the children. And I didn't want that. I wanted us to live happily together. In fact…

I looked over at Eureka as a thought passed through my head. I quickly shook my head and mentally scolded myself.

"_Nah…That's far away from now. We don't have enough room for another one anyway."_ I couldn't believe that I had just thought about that. It's not like I hadn't thought about it before, but now…I just realized that all of the things I wanted to do with a family was now available to me. And I knew that, but now that I really think about it, it was a little incredible.

I shook my head a little trying to refocus myself. I squeezed Eureka's hand a little bit and passed her a smile- I was still trying to get a smile out of her, but so far all I was getting was week and simple smiles. I just couldn't stand it anymore!

"Hey, Eureka!" I started with a shout to get her attention.

"Wha-" I cut her off. Before she could even turn to look at me I got behind her, quickly bent down, wrapped my arms around her waist, and picked her up. I was careful of her wings- it's a little hard picking someone up when they have wings.

I took note of how her wings felt against my chest. They felt warm and soft. It almost felt like if I held her too long like that then her wings would leave an imprint on my chest and clothes; like hot iron on a bull.

We spun around a few times. While we were spinning, Eureka looked over her shoulder and gave me what I was wanting. That smile- Her mouth was open and the corners of her mouth were pulled upwards. Her eyes were shut tight and her cheeks were red. That was the smile I was looking for. And for some reason, when I saw it- my face gained the same expression…love- it's such a strange thing. Isn't it…Sis?

I gently held Eureka's small body in my arms. She was so soft and so fragile it seemed. But when ever I held her it felt like her body was made to fit in my arms.

I pulled my head back to examine her for a moment. And she did the same. She seemed to focus on my eyes, while I was entranced with her entire being. I examined her face: So smooth and pale. Her eyes: So clear and sparkling. Her lips: So glossed and small. Her nose: So adorable and well shaped.

I took note of how her body felt against mine. It was warm and comfortable- like it just brought peace into my world.

I slowly brought my face to hers and kissed her lips. They were soft and seemed to fit my lips perfectly. I pulled away and gazed at her lovingly. Her smile was soft and her eyes had a dreamy gleam in them.

She buried her forehead in the crook of my neck and I placed my forehead on the top of her head.

My vision was clouded with the glow of her hair. The scent of her hair relaxed all of my muscles and I became putty for her to mold; I was at her command.

Strands of her light blue hair whisked against my eyelashes and nose. I chuckled slightly. The sky colored hair of the girl beneath my face tickled the top of my nose as I hugged her tighter.

I kissed the top of her head and then she pulled away from under my head and looked up at the sky in wonderment. I was a little more distracted by her lips than what she was looking at.

I felt a droplet hit my nose. I looked up to see the skies clouding up rather quickly. That was what she was staring up at.

I felt Eureka push away from me gently and grab my hand and begin to lead me back towards the direction of the house. She dragged me for a moment; the sky had all of my attention and then I looked over at Eureka and tried to regain my step.

Then I mentally kicked myself, _"Ah man! We didn't even get to go to the place I wanted to go to!"_ I looked down, my eyebrows furrowed.

My eyes shifted over to the girl next to me. That smile that I loved so much on her face. I smiled softly. That smile was worth more than a thousand miles. So…I would just get over the fact that we couldn't get to the destination…But I know that if there's one thing that I can never get over…is Eureka.

**Okay guys, PLEASE check out my home page. It's got the un-cut version of the fanfiction, amvs, and more. I would appreciate you signing my guestbook as well. Anyhow, I know it took a while for me to write this chapter. But I wasn't satisfied with how it came out so I had to rewrite it. And then I started to write it and then stopped because I got bored and lost the inspiration.**

**So you guys- you can thank my cousin for getting me re-inspired! This chapter is dedicated to you, cuz! Anyhow I got him addicted to the show and then he had an obsession with it and we started texting each other about it and then before I knew it I had become obsessed again. Love my cousin.**

**This story will be long…Oh…I don't know…60 chapters or so? XD Maybe- that depends on how creative I'll be. I know that it will be over 20 chapters, so don't fret. .**

**R&R**


	4. Ch 4: Despite the Changes

Disclaimer: I do not own Eureka seven

Disclaimer: I do not own Eureka seven

**Okay, first off, thanks for the generous reviews. I really do appreciate the critiques and I'm going to nail down a few things: Renton and Eureka are around 16. But I didn't know that till after I posted the chapters, my bad.**

**Hair color: I recently figured out that Eureka's hair is blue- not green. That was a 'my bad' moment. So yeah- her hair will be blue the rest of the story- I promise. **

After Effect

Ch. 4: Biding Time

We got into the house- drenched and cold. We were panting hard from the long run. But when we exchanged glances we began laughing. Eureka looked adorable- her hair was pasted against her face and had little droplets of water running down her face.

As for me, my hair was covering my face entirely and seemed to be pasted large locks from the heavy rain.

I walked into the bathroom and grabbed a couple of towels and brought them back to Eureka. We dried off, making sure that every drop knew who was boss.

"Hey, what time is it?" I asked out loud.

"It's around twelve."

"Are you hungry?" I asked as I threw the towel over my shoulders. Eureka shook her head. She never really ate that much, sometimes it worried me, but I knew that she would be okay.

I walked over to the sofa and laid down, the towl still around my shoulders. I groaned a little. It was nice to lay down after a nice walk. Stretching a out a little I noticed Eureka standing over the sofa. She looked tired and bored. It didn't take me long to come up with an idea.

"Hey Eureka," I started, I was a little nervous, "you know, if you're tired, you can lay here on the sofa with me."

She looked down at me and smiled softly. I couldn't help but wonder if she felt as awkward as I did at times.

Even though we were 'legally' married, I was still a little uncomfortable with being in an intimate relationship. I guess we really hadn't been together as a couple all that long and were still getting used to idea. I had always dreamed of the idea, but figured that it was pure fantasy and now that I knew it wasn't, it just felt awkward…what I wanted for so long is right in front of me, sis, and smiling at me.

She laid down next to me and snuggled closer to me. Frowning was an impossible thing to do at that moment. It was obvious that she was happy- and that could only make me smile.

I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. Burying my face in her hair, I couldn't help but think, _"Maybe...adapting isn't going to be as hard as I thought it would be."_

When I went to pick up the kids later in the day they seemed pretty pleased with their first day of school. Apparently they made new friends and their teachers were really nice. Not to mention on their first day they got to do a lot of arts and crafts. The refrigerator door would be covered tonight, that was for sure.

When we got home, Eureka was eagerly waiting for them. She was a little worried about how their first day of school- especially since all three of them had little interaction with other children, other than with themselves. It was nice to see how relieved she was when they came running in and tugging at her dress saying, 'mama guess what happened?' and 'mama look what I made!'

They all scrambled onto the sofa, next to their mama. All of them began digging through their backpacks and pulling out papers. It was obvious Eureka was a little overwhelmed with all of the papers they had brought home. Some of them were pictures they had drawn or letters that they had written. Others were papers her and myself had to sign.

"What are these papers for?" she looked at one at a time, confusion plastered on her face.

"They're probably things for like field trip forms, medical forms- you know, so that the school knows what to do and what not to do with the kids." I picked up and paper and let my eyes sailed from word to word.

"Oh, I see." She skimmed through one of the medical forms and looked over at Maurice, "I don't believe you three are allergic to anything." She paused for a moment, "not that we know of anyway."

"Yeah, I think they're in the clear." I said signing my name at the bottom of one of the forms.

Several forms later we made sure the kids packed them back into their bags and let them off to play. "They seemed to be happy with school today." Eureka smiled as she looked out the window at the kids running around in the front yard.

"Yeah! Honestly I thought it would be kinda rough on them, but they seem okay." I smiled back.

Eureka frowned slightly and turned to me, "Renton, what is school like?"

"School?" I repeated. "Uh…Well, it's not that great I guess. The only reason people send their kids is so that they can survive and get good jobs when they get older. But what the kids are learning right now is just simple stuff: alphabet, numbers, social skills, arts and crafts, writing, some math; the easy stuff."

"I see." She smiled and looked back out the window. "I'm glad that they'll be learning all of this, it'll be good for them." She was happy about their new educational road. But in a way I think she was a little sad- she wouldn't get to spend as much time with them anymore.

I came up from behind her and wrapped my arms around her, trying to avoid the bicolor wings. Resting my chin on her shoulder, I stared out the window at the children frolicking around the half-dead lawn.

That odd empty feeling was still there inside me, but I could start to feel it slowly being filled. Despite the changes, it was a new chapter in our lives and we would write on it until another one was issued. But for that moment sis, I just wanted to stand there with Eureka, looking out at our family.


	5. Ch 5: Ginta

Disclaimer: I do not own Eureka seven

After Effect

Ch. 5: Ginta

Days went by slowly- things were slowly falling into place. I had been working with Grandpa on the LFO he had found. It wasn't easy either. First thing we did was run it down with a hose to get all of the dirt and blood off of it, but then we had to go into the cockpit and clean up the rest of the blood and dirt. We couldn't get the blood stains out the seats, so we decided that we would have to replace them sooner or later.

Eureka helped us out as much as possible. In fact she was with us at that moment we started working on it. She didn't have anything to do while the kids were at school except clean. The thing was that there wasn't anything to clean. She would bring things to us and would communicate with the LFO. She said it was angry and sad, because it was used for bad and not good and it was sad because its owner had been brutally killed in the crash landing they took.

I would take her word for it. Sure you could remotely tell what an LFO was thinking or feeling, but we only had the machine for a few weeks. Not just that, but I hadn't seen an LFO exactly like it before. It was bulky and tall- taller and less bulky than a Military KLF.

"It was a model rejected by the military." Grandpa said flipping through a book of military machines and materials- one especially given to Grandpa by Dominic the last time he dropped by. "It was hard to work with because it was hard to walk with, it was too long to take proper turns during grounded combat and the ref board was going to had to be huge to support it- and government funds couldn't make dozens of those boards along with a massive sized LFO such as this one."

"Really?" I asked incredulously. I looked over the LFO again and shrugged. "I understand the government funding, but it looks like it could walk properly."

"It's legs are bulky and long, I wouldn't be surprised if it tripped all over itself." Grandpa deadpanned.

"…What about remodeling it a little? You know, take off the chunky armory and put on some other thin metal." I leaned on the mechanic-tool table and look back over at my Grandpa.

"Suppose so, but it would leave a weak spot. And it was made with think sheets of metal so that it could protect its large mass."

"I guess that makes sense." I turned around to look at Eureka. She was blank faced again and her eyes were locked on the LFO.

"Anyway, we should probably give it an alias." Grandpa sighed. "At least while we're working on it anyway." He looked over at me and then at Eureka. His grey eyes just stared questioningly into me and Eureka.

"I don't know." Leaning up against the wall, I looked over at Eureka who was still looking at the LFO. Her purple eyes glanced around at it and her wings folded back defensively. After a long pause, Eureka simple stated, "Ginta. He wants to be called Ginta."

"Ginta?" Grandpa asked.

"Yes." Eureka verified and looked over at Grandpa. Her wings spread out for a second and then quickly folded back again. She looked innocent like that.

"Alright." Grandpa agreed sternly. He stood up and walked over to the mechanic-tool table and began scribbling on a piece of paper. "Renton, it's two thirty. You need to go pick up the kids."

"Yeah." I smiled. As I was walking out the garage door I kissed Eureka on the forehead and headed towards the direction of the school.

. . .

Everything was quiet for a while. The only noise was Axel's pencil running against the paper. The blue haired girl would look from Ginta to Axel and from Axel to Ginta. Her curiosity was wandering.

The old man put his pencil down and examined the notes he took. "We'll have to order all the needed parts to fix up the cock pit. That machine has unique parts; parts that mechanics usually don't use." Axel huffed, walking over the LFO. "Ginta will need to be repainted and have a few dents popped." He ran his pink fingers over multiple miniature dents.

"He's like that." Eureka whispered and looked over at Axel. "What'll happen to him once we fix him?"

"We'll give him back to the military. He's top secret- a stolen reject. The only reason I had a book on military weaponry is because our family's recent history lies with them."

"…Alright." She didn't want to give Ginta back to the military. He held such hate towards the world and going back to the military to rot would only make things worse. But she couldn't argue with Axel, she knew that. He was just doing what the military told him to do. Even though she was the wife of a hero and she played a large part in saving the world- the military still had their standards and responsibilities.

The hateful LFO would have to go back to the military and there was no stopping it.

…

When I got back home with the kids everything was quiet. I had guessed that Grandpa had given up on the Ginta for a while and Eureka was probably in her room. It was going to be quiet and awkward for a few hours that much I could tell.

It's weird how from the minute you walk into your own house you can tell how the atmosphere will be. But it was a good thing in my case, it meant that I was getting used to living here in this little house and in Bell forest.

"Mama! Mama!" The kids began running wildly through the house. But there wasn't an answer.

"Maybe she's in the garage or in the bathroom." I suggested.

"I'll go check the garage!" Maeter gleefully fled the house and sped to the garage. After a few minutes I figured that she must have found her mama if she wasn't coming back. So the boys and I made our way to the garage. When we got there Maeter was looking up towards the cockpit, cocking her head curiously.

"Is she up there?" Linck asked as she approached his sister.

"Uh-huh." She muttered. After a short paused a soft voice shouted, "I'll be down in a minute!"

A few seconds later, she stood up from the cockpit and stared down at us. I could have sworn I was staring at an angel; an angel covered in oil stains and still glowed under the sunlight that leaked through the Thurston Garage windows. She looked proud and bold standing the way she was, smiling and her eyes glimmering with some sort of excitement, hair down as if it was too bold to be pinned back at that moment. I hadn't seen her like that in a long time.

She ran down the stairs as quickly and carefully as she could. And when she reached the floor the kids came flocking to her like birds. They hugged her quickly and began telling her about their day. She smiled and nodded at them.

I could only stare. Maybe we were both starting to recover from that feeling inside that weighed us down.

. . .

The night was quiet by ten o'clock, all except for the crickets outside. The lights were all off and the only thing illuminated into our house was the glow of the moon. The kids were tucked in bed, fast asleep. I was about to turn in myself, but when I went to tell Eureka goodnight I couldn't find her anywhere in the house.

Padding gently through the small house in the dark, I looked toward the front door with the little light that leaked through the window. I had been trying to be quiet, but I failed when I accidentally stubbed my toe on the leg of the sofa. "Ow!" I gasped. I paused and listened attentively. There were no noises from the kid's room, so I was in the clear.

I was relieved when I opened the front door. Not only could I see again but Eureka was sitting on the edge of the porch staring out at the flat landscape. She looked over at my and smiled, "Oh, Renton it's you."

"Yeah, what are you doing out here?" I asked, sitting down next to her.

"I'm just sitting here admiring the night." There was a serene feeling about her tonight; I always felt serene around her. But tonight was a joyful feeling. It was like she had been chained up recently and all of a sudden she had broken free…Yeah, I guess that's the best way to put it.

"It is a pretty night, isn't it?" She nodded and smiled even more.

My eyes were held captive by Eureka's eyes. The moonlight put its reflection inside them- just like it did that night that I first met her. It had me utterly engrossed. But the engrossment quickly ended when I remember Eureka working hard on the Ginta earlier. Sure, I knew she liked to work on LFO's too, but she usually liked to work on them with Grandpa and me- usually not by herself. And she seemed so determined and happy compared to the Eureka I saw before I left. "Eureka, why were you working so hard on the Ginta when the kids and I got back?"

"What do you mean?" her eyes fell into mine.

"Well, I mean you seemed kind of sad before I left and when I got back you were happy and you worked on the Ginta by yourself?" Not that there was anything wrong with that- I was happy for her. I probably should have told her that but she cut me off with a soft strong smile and an explanation.

"Axel told me that Ginta would have to be sent back to the military as soon as we fixed it. And at first that made me sad… But then I realized that while the Ginta is here we should try and treat it with respect and care. That way he'll realize not all the people in the world aren't bad and he'll be happier. So when he goes back to the military he'll be happier. Even if the military never uses him, then at least he has peace of mind."

That made all the sense in the world to me. And if it made her happy then it would make me happy. I would stand by her and my Grandpa in this project. We would save the Ginta and make sure it knows that it can trust again. Most people would think that LFO's were merely machinery with no feelings, then again they never had the chance to ride in the Nirvash like Eureka and I did.

The Nirvash…there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think about her and how much I miss piloting her with Eureka by my side. And with those memories in mind, then maybe we could learn how to treat the Ginta just as the Nirvash liked to be treated.

"Sounds like a plan." I smiled.

Eureka nodded in reply, "I think it'll be fun."

"Yeah, but right now we should be going to bed." I said. The both of us stood up and stared back out into the yard. Crickets continued to play their fiddles and violins and the moon continued to pore into Eureka's eyes. Almost simultaneously we looked at each other. My breath was caught in my throat when our eyes locked. But despite the fact that I was about to suffocate I gently grabbed her hands in mine. Fervid by the moment and the girl in front of me, I closed my eyes and leaned in. She must have done the same, because the trip to her was cut short by her lips.

Moments like these, I thought never existed. But somehow the world seems to prove me wrong every time I think something like that. And I'm thankful for these moments and glad that I get to share them with Eureka.

We walked back into the house, hand in hand- ready to face whatever tomorrow brought for us.

**Thanks so much for reading this chapter. ******** I'm happy about it and I'm glad it's come out this well. Please review. I would really appreciate it. :p**


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